When Immundiagnostik AG was looking to expand from its founding location in Germany to North America in 2018, Manchester, New Hampshire, checked a lot of the boxes for its North American subsidiary’s leadership.
There were quality-of-life considerations: Terry Fisher, chief operating officer of Immundiagnostik, Inc. and Jennifer Brock, chief commercial officer, both lived nearby. They had worked in industrial parks and cubicles but wanted something different. Their millyard location has space with large windows, and walkable access to downtown or the riverside, where you might find them grabbing lunch from a hot dog cart.
There were also practical business considerations: New Hampshire offers a competitive tax structure. Its millyard location also provides convenient access to Manchester and Boston airports, which support the company's travel and logistics needs. Plus, the area was developing its reputation for what would become the ReGen Valley Tech Hub.
“Manchester has a nice little ecosystem of life science companies here, to begin with,” said Fisher.
This past winter, Immundiagnostik, Inc. joined NH Life Sciences (NHLS), connecting with the wider life sciences ecosystem across the state of New Hampshire. NHLS membership has grown to more than 70 members.
Other new members include Tidal Diagnostic Solutions, Prolytix, Alloy Therapeutics, Harvey Construction and Marsh McLennan. Together, these new members represent the breadth of New Hampshire's life sciences ecosystem. From diagnostic innovators and therapeutics developers to construction, consulting and risk-management firms, each plays a role in helping life sciences companies start, grow and succeed in the Granite State.
Immundiagnostik, Inc. is seeking to tap into the experience and expertise of fellow life sciences organizations across the state.
“We're a small company,” Brock said. “We hire out work like HR consulting, finance consultants, attorneys. Our Head of Business Operations, Alison Hall, uses NHLS a lot to help us with networking.”
It also hopes to benefit from the association as it recruits talent and shares best practices with other companies facing similar challenges.
“We have those networks that we rely on, even now,” Brock said. “For example, ‘are you guys getting hit with these tariffs? What do you do?’ There's always a crisis, and it's nice to have another like group of people that have similar experiences that you can share. That was probably the biggest value for us.”
Immundiagnostik, Inc. — a supplier of assays and detection tools for clinical labs, researchers and pharmaceutical companies — represents another link connecting companies across the cycle of innovation.
In particular, the company provides the tools behind the test in areas like gastroenterology, immunology and therapeutic drug monitoring. Its products are used by labs such as Quest, Mayo Clinic or Labcorp.
“We provide the clinical and research tools that laboratories need for patient care, or we deal with pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations, who are trying to either develop drugs, come up with therapies or detect and monitor diseases,” Fisher said.
As the North American subsidiary, Immundiagnostik, Inc. serves as both a technical support resource and a bridge between North American laboratories and its parent company's team of more than 150 scientists in Germany.
Among its recent collaborations was a test for detectable levels of gluten in stool samples.
“One of the projects we did was with a patient advocacy group, the Celiac Disease Foundation, in partnership with Labcorp, for novel tests for celiac patients that would hopefully help their lifestyle,” Fisher said.
The test helps physicians determine whether ongoing symptoms are the result of accidental gluten exposure or another gastrointestinal condition with similar symptoms.
“It's sort of a tool for supportive analysis,” Brock said. “They might be on a gluten-free diet and still experiencing symptoms, so they're trying to figure out what's causing what.”
The drive behind the work is to improve patient outcomes and help them lead higher-quality lives.
“We truly care about the people at the end of the test,” said Noelle Hurley, Immundiagnostik, Inc.’s head of marketing communications. “We're not working directly with patients or doctors, but we understand that the results mean a lot, whether it's used in research or clinical settings. We absolutely put people over profits. I take a lot of pride in working here and am proud to say I work for a company that actually cares.”
As part of NHLS, Immundiagnostik, Inc. hopes to expand its impact through new partnerships, collaborations and connections across New Hampshire's life sciences community.